Arm-rest attachment for crutches.



G. HIPWOOD. ABM REST ATTACHMENT FOR CRUTCHES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. IIl I9I6.

Patented Mar. ,25, 1919.

l'nvenror. George Hipwood by STAES UN IT ATNT FFICE.

ARM-REST ATTACHMENT FOR CRUTCHES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 25, 1919.

Application filed August 11, 1916. Serial No. 114,473.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE HIPWooD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Arm- Rest Attachments for Crutches, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to crutches and has for its object to provide an arm rest attachment adapted to be detachably secured to the head of an ordinary crutch and constructed so as to provide a resilient arm rest. The ordinary crutch is made with a wooden head, the upper surface of which is concaved somewhat to fit under the arm. Sometimes this head is covered with cloth, but whether it is so covered or not, it is unyielding and is apt to cause more or less discomfort to the user of the crutch because of'its hard unyielding 7 nature.

My improvement aims to provide an attachment which can be readily applied to any crutch head and which will furnish a yielding resilient arm support on which the weight of the user of the crutch comes, thus eliminating any discomfort due to the use of a crutch with a hard unyielding arm rest or crutch head.

My attachment is so constructed that it can be quickly and easily applied to or removed from a crutch and can be manufactured at a small cost. This makes it possible for any user of a crutch to convert his crutch into one having a resilient yielding arm support or head at a very small expenditure. In order to give an understanding of my invention, I have illustrated in the drawings some selected embodiments thereof which will now be described, after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a side view of a crutch head having my improvements applied thereto, a portion of the resilient attachment being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33, Fig. 1;

Figs. 4: and 5 show modified forms of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66, Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a view of the arm rest attachment removed from the crutch.

I have shown at 1 a crutch head which is supported on the two sides 2 of the crutch body, as usual in crutches. This crutch head 1 is formed with a concaved upper surface 3 which is designed to fit under the arm pit of the user and is shaped to present the two horns or tips 4 and 5, as usual. My improved attachment comprises a resilient arm-supporting member and means for detachably. securing said member to the crutch head in such a position that said member occupies a position above the arm-receiving surface 3 of the crutch head so that when the crutch is used, the weight of the person will be sustained by the resilient arm rest portion of my device rather than directly by the solid unyielding crutch head. I will preferably provide a construction wherein the yielding arm rest is detachably secured to the ends 1 and 5 of the crutch head, although this is not essential. The yielding arm rest portion of my attachment is designated generally by 55 and it may be formed in any suitable way. Merely as illustrative of one way of making this arm rest member and without any purpose of limiting the invention to any particular structure, I have shown in the drawings an arm rest member formed of a plurality of longitudinally-extensible helical springs 6. These springs are secured at their ends to fastening devices that are adapted to be detachably secured to the ends 4 and 5 of the crutch head 1 so that when the device is in place, the springs will extend longitudinally of the crutch head above the concaved surface 3 and will be under more or less tension. Any suitable fastening device might be used for securing the springs to the crutch head. In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown a construction wherein the ends of the springs are connected directly to spreader elements 7 which hold the springs properly spaced relative to each other, and each spreader element is connected by links 8 with the upturned flange 9 of a clip or clamp 10 that is adapted to be clamped to the end of the crutch. The clamps 10 are shown as split, and a clamping screw 11 is provided for clamping it firmly about the end of the crutch head. The springs 6 are shown as inclosed in a covering 12 of fabric, rubber, leather or some other suitable material, and I will preferably stitch the two sides of the covering together by means of stitching 13 which extends longitudinally of the arm rest member 55 between this way',.the springs areheld' properly positioned. relative to each otherthroughout their length. The device shown Figs. 1 and 2 can be easily applied to a crutch by first slipping one end of thecru-tch head into'one of the vfastening devices 10 and then stretching the spri ngs lengitudinallyto enable the other fastening device to be placed over the other endjof the crutch headl' 'The tensionof the springs will holdthe device inplace on the crutchhead. In. Fi'gs'i flg and 5 I. haveillustrated a slightly difi'erent' embodiment V of the invention. wherein the'f'astening devices are in the nature of caps I4 shaped to fit over the ends of the crutch head. The cap is shown a'ssplit onits under side, asat 15 to; allow it to conformto crutches of different shapes.

When-a crutch having my attachment appliedithereto is used and the weight of the ,personcomes on the arm rest member 55, the latter @will, give oryield more or less," thus furnishing a'yieldingsupport to the user of e the crutch which is much more comfortable than thdunyieldihg non-resilient crutch head 1} improved attachmentcan be ap pliedfto any crutch and can be manufactured at a comparatively'small cost r 2 While I have illustrated herein "some embodiments of my invention, yetsin-ce I believe I am thefirst to provide-a resilient arm rest attachiiient cap able'ofbeing readily.

attached to any crutchhead, I, desire to claimthe invention broadly without being restricted. to the constructional features shown.

their ends to the fastening devices. H I I In testimony whereo-:E,-I have signed my;

Iclaim:

1'. The combination with a crutch head shaped to present the usual concave armsupporting surface and having tapering ends, of a fastening device constructed to slip over eachof said tapering ends, and a longitudinallyresilient armrest secured to 1 j and supported under tension by said: fastening devices to permit cushioning or yielding 7 of said, rest when'in use.

2. The combination; with crutch head shaped to present the usual concave arm supporting surface and; having tapering ends, of a fastening device detachably apresilient arm rest; secured to i and supported under tension from said fastening devicesto permit cushioning or yielding of said rest s when in use.-

' 3, A crutch attachment comprisingtwo :fasteningdevices constructedto embrace and g be detachably secured to thegendsof a crutchhead, a spreader secured to; each fastening.

device, anda plurality ofi springs connecting risi-ng a plurality of; springs'gconnected at name tothis'specific'ation.

i EORG 'iiIPWooD.

7 (it he elitained i'or five cents each, by addre'ssing'tlic fGoin missioner of Patents,

Washington, 1).0. j a q j Y hmen c mpr n W yfastening devl'ces adapted to, embrace thee-11E .7 ends of a crutchhead, and an" armrest coIn. 

